Katie Elder was lucky enough to grow up with BEMP, starting when she was a sixth grade student at Bosque School. BEMP fostered her love for the natural sciences all the way through her senior year of high school. Katie received two BS degrees from Humboldt State University in 2013 (Biology, with a marine emphasis, and Wildlife Conservation and Ecology). Katie couldn’t stay away from BEMP and continued working for BEMP during summer breaks throughout college. Over the years, Katie has worked with cane toads in Australia, coral ecosystems in Florida, Bryozoans in California, and porcupines in New Mexico. Katie’s current BEMP role is as a biologist and educator. She oversees the independent high school research program, mentoring future generations of wildlife biologists.